The Critical Role of Community College Field Training Programs in Today’s Archaeology

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The CRM industry is struggling to meet labor needs as funding from recent federal legislation increases the demand for CRM archaeology. The labor shortage is being felt at all hiring levels, from Field Technicians to Principal Investigators. The high cost of archaeological field schools and higher education in general are increasingly prohibitive for students, especially those from underrepresented groups. The resulting financial burden and low entry-level wages decrease the perceived value of archaeological field training, leading interested students to forgo the discipline in favor of more lucrative career pathways. The lack of trained field technicians worsens the labor shortage and threatens the sustainability of the CRM model. In this context, open-access field training programs that provide alternatives to high-cost field schools are more important than ever to the CRM industry and the archaeological discipline as a whole. This poster highlights the approach and relevance of Pima Community College’s Archaeology Field Certificate Program. The Program provides an entry point for underrepresented students who might not otherwise pursue a career in archaeology; ensures that students receive industry-standard training through regular consultation with an Advisory Committee; and assists community partners by providing a pipeline of talent to fill the needs of local industry.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37457.0